Her mouth agape, Erin stared for a moment as Luke broke into a slow chuckle. “Seriously?” she finally said. Shaking her head, she turned back to the sink. “That man…. What did you say?”
“The truth, of course. Exploit your riches, plunder your natural resources, and then escape back to the motherland.”
Once again, Erin found herself staring at him dumbfounded. “There are no words….”
“I told him I really like you, but we hadn’t really discussed anything beyond… today.” Luke shrugged. “I don’t think he was too terribly satisfied with that answer, but it was honest.”
“So long as you’re not escaping back to the motherland long term,” she muttered.
“Hey,” Luke said, setting the damp dishtowel aside and tugging on her arm so she’d face him. “That was meant to be a joke. I’m not a pirate, you
